The incorporation of electronic devices with tire structures yields many practical advantages. Tire electronics may include sensors and other components for obtaining information regarding various physical parameters of a tire, such as temperature, pressure, number of tire revolutions, vehicle speed, etc. Such performance information may become useful in tire monitoring and warning systems, and may have potential use as a part of a feedback system to regulate or control certain tire and/or vehicle related systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,984 (Frey et al.) discloses a tire monitoring system and method that is capable of determining such information as tire deflection, tire speed, and number of tire revolutions. Another example of a tire electronics system can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,484 (Snyder), which concerns an abnormal tire condition warning system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,486 (Wing et al.) also relates to tire electronics, and more particularly discloses an exemplary revolution counter for use in conjunction with automotive and truck tires.
Yet another potential capability offered by electronics systems integrated with tire structures corresponds to asset tracking and performance characterization for commercial vehicular applications. Commercial truck fleets, aviation crafts and earthmover/mining vehicles are all viable industries that could utilize the benefits of tire electronic systems and related information transmission. Tire sensors can determine the distance each tire in a vehicle has traveled and thus aid in maintenance planning for such commercial systems. Vehicle location and performance can be optimized for more expensive applications such as those concerning earth-mining equipment. Entire fleets of vehicles could be tracked using RF tag transmission, exemplary aspects of which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,447 (Ghaem et al.).
Such integrated tire electronics systems have conventionally been powered by a variety of techniques and different power generation systems. Examples of mechanical features for generating energy from tire movement are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,200 (Thompson) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,351 (Thomas). Such examples provide bulky complex systems that are generally not preferred for incorporation with modern tire applications. Yet another option for powering tire electronics systems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,484 (Snyder), which concerns a piezoelectric power supply symmetrically configured about a radiating centerline of a tire.
Another known method for deriving power for tire monitoring systems relates to piezoelectric generators that harvest energy produced by the rotation of a host tire. U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,713 discloses a system for generating electric power from a rotating tire's mechanical energy that employs a piezoelectric structure and an energy storage device.
The disclosures of all the forgoing United States patents are herby fully incorporated into this application for all purposes by reference thereto.
While various implementations of tire related data collection and transmission systems and methodologies have been developed, no design has emerged that generally encompasses all of the desired characteristics as hereafter presented in accordance with the subject technology.